Green tea has long been known to have antioxidant effects and its nature in the fight against diseases, one disease. Now a recent study re-discovered another benefit of green tea. Researchers in Hong Kong believe that this drink could help protect against various diseases of the eye.

Recent studies on how the lens, retina and other eye tissue absorb 'catechins' which is contained in tea, showed that this beverage can protect the eyes from glaucoma and other common eye diseases.

Chi Pui Pan and colleagues from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Eye Hospital, said that "catechins," ie, a type of antioxidant that protects the body from damage caused by oxidation, can pass through the stomach and into the eye tissue. These catechins include Vitamins C, E, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Research that has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, was done with green tea to mice, and then analyze the network of their eyes. The result, found that different parts of the eye to absorb a number of catechins and reduce oxidative stress in the eye up to 20 hours. Oxidative stress alone is known to cause retinal diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration (AMD) associated with age.

"Our results indicate that consumption of green tea may benefit the eyes against oxidative stress," the authors conclude.